Individual Giving

Glimmerglass is grateful to the hundreds of individuals and families who make possible everything we do onstage and off.

For giving instructions, including stock information, click here.

Checks can be made payable to “The Glimmerglass Festival” and mailed to:
PO Box 191
Cooperstown, NY 13326

MANDATORY IRA DISTRIBUTIONS

Did you know that you must begin withdrawing from your IRA after you reach age 72 (73 if you reach age 72 after 2022)? Additionally, there are new provisions that allow a one-time tax-free qualified charitable distribution (QCD) up to $50,000 from an IRA to fund a gift that pays income for life, such as a charitable gift annuity. To learn more about required minimum distributions, visit www.IRS.gov, or contact your tax consultant.

Make an impact all year long.

Sustained giving is a convenient and affordable way to make your contribution to The Glimmerglass Festival. Your monthly commitment to the annual fund helps to support the company operations year-round by providing a steady source of revenue. Plus, you can enjoy donor benefits associated with your total giving throughout the year. Your credit card will be charged monthly in the amount that you specify and will automatically renew unless you opt to change or cancel.

To join our Sustained Giving Program, select the “monthly” option on our online donation form.

Questions? Contact Kathy Buck at (607) 547-0700 ext. 299 or kbuck@glimmerglass.org.

The Goodyear Society

The Goodyear Society honors the generous individuals and families who have arranged gifts for Glimmerglass in their wills or estates. Members of the Society receive the highest level of patron benefits throughout the duration of their lifetimes. If you have already included Glimmerglass in your plans, please be sure to let us know so that we may thank you and extend an invitation to become a member of this special group of supporters, which receives Camerata-level donor benefits.  

The Society is named for one of our founders, Tom Goodyear, and his mother, Jeanette Bissell Goodyear, whose generous donation of farmland was transformed into the Festival’s theater and campus we know and enjoy today.

To leave a gift in your will, consult your financial, tax, or legal advisor and share:
“I bequeath $___ or ___% of my estate to Glimmerglass Opera Theatre, Inc., Taxpayer Identification No. 16-1053970.”

Goodyear Society Confirmation Form

Below you can find the most popular forms of planned gifts received by Glimmerglass. Please consult with a financial, tax, or legal advisor about the method of contributing that is best for you.

Bequests. A bequest made through a will or living trust is the most common method utilized to make a planned gift to Glimmerglass. Your bequest may be in the form of a predetermined sum, percentage, or the remainder of an estate and may consist of cash, securities, life insurance proceeds, real estate, and/or personal property. 

Beneficiary Designation. You may choose to make Glimmerglass the beneficiary of all or a  portion of an IRA, life insurance plan, qualified retirement plan, brokerage account, etc. Should you choose to move forward with such a gift, please be sure to update your beneficiary designation form accordingly. 

Charitable Trusts. Charitable trusts are a favorable option when planning your estate, providing you, the donor, with a wide range of benefits. Charitable trusts can play a role in reducing income and estate tax, as well as protecting your assets. The two types of charitable trusts we most frequently see are:

1. Charitable Remainder Trusts (CRTs). A CRT is an irrevocable trust that allows you to make a gift to Glimmerglass while reaping the benefit from your assets. Cash, securities, or other property are placed in a trust that provides an income to you or your designated beneficiary/beneficiaries for life or a set period of time. When the trust period ends, the remainder will be disbursed to the Glimmerglass Festival Endowment, with tax benefits available through a charitable deduction. 
2. Charitable Lead Trusts (CLTs). A CLT is also an irrevocable trust that allows you to benefit from the tax savings that result from supporting Glimmerglass without giving up the assets that you hope to pass down to your family. Consisting of cash, securities or other property, this type of charitable trust distributes fixed, periodic payments to Glimmerglass for a set amount of time. When the specified term of the trust ends, the remainder will be disbursed to you or your designated beneficiary/beneficiaries.

The Glimmerglass Festival is grateful for all inquiries; planned gifts of any size have an impact and are invaluable in helping perpetuate the Festival to be enjoyed by future generations for years to come.

To notify us of your legacy gift and to join the Goodyear Society, please complete this “Goodyear Society Confirmation Form” and return to Caryn Reeves, Director of Development, at creeves@glimmerglass.org. She can also be reached for questions at (607) 547-0700 ext. 238.

The Glimmerglass Festival is grateful to our institutional partners—foundations, businesses, and government agencies:

CORPORATE SPONSORSHIPS 

Glimmerglass structures sponsorship opportunities to give companies a high degree of flexibility based on their individual marketing, promotional and/or philanthropic goals. Each sponsor receives a unique package of benefits providing an extensive level of brand exposure throughout the entire event or sponsorship duration. Corporate Giving benefits are customizable and may include verbal recognition, written recognition in digital communications and printed materials, ad space in the Festival Program Book, and in-season benefits such as invitations to select dress rehearsals and Intermission Club privileges.